The Federal Aviation Administration of the United States (FAA) publishes a manual entitled “Instrument Flying Handbook,” a publication to which pilots may refer when being trained to fly under instrument flight rules (IFR). Part of training involves the use of an instrument approach procedure (IAP) chart which provides the method to descend and land safely on a runway in low visibility conditions. The FAA establishes an IAP after thorough analyses of obstruction, terrain features, and navigational facilities. Maneuvers, including altitude changes, course corrections, and other limitations, are prescribed in the IAP. The approach charts, commonly referred to as approach plates, reflect the criteria associated with the United States Standard for Terminal Instrument Approach Procedures (TERPs), which prescribes standardization methods for use in designing instrument flight procedures.
The use of a particular IAP may depend upon reported weather conditions that are currently being observed and/or forecasted at an airport or an area encompassing the aircraft. Each IAP includes “landing minimums” or “landing minima” that have been established and/or predefined for the IAP. Landing minima includes predefined criteria corresponding to ceiling and visibility requirements of the IAP. If reported weather information and/or forecasted weather information is less than or “below” one and/or both landing minimums for a particular IAP, it might not be suitable and/or advisable for the pilot to attempt the procedure.
As part of their routine procedures, pilots are informed of weather conditions at certain locations such as the airport from which they are departing, the airport at which they plan to arrive, and/or an alternative airport (if, for example, the weather conditions at the arrival airport are below landing minimums). There are a plurality of weather data sources from which the pilot may obtain weather information. With this information, the pilot may compare the weather information with the landing minimums of one or more IAPs (or in some cases, predefined takeoff minimums establishing weather criteria corresponding to a takeoff and departure from an airport) and determined the suitability of the one or more IAPs. As the pilot performs this comparison, however, a loss of situational awareness could result as the pilot shifts his or her eyes and concentration between the weather information and one or more IAP charts.